Experimental study of a domestic refrigerator using (SiO2/PAG oil/R-134a) nano-refrigerant as a replacement for pure R-134a

Abstract

This research studies the influence of using SiO2 nano-particles of 50nm in a Vapor Compression Refrigeration System (VCRS), along with Poly-alkylene Glycol (PAG) oil and R-134a mixed to create a nano-refrigerant. The methodology used in this work, the nano-particles were performed in three different concentrations (0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5%) and mixed with 200ml of PAG oil. A VCR system was built at the mechanical engineering department laboratory in Al-Qadisiyah University. In order to study the Coefficient of Performance (COP) and the consumed energy by the compressor in the two cases of adding the nano-particles and using a pure refrigerant. The paper showed an increase in the system's COP from 2.3 to 2.81 when using a concentration of 0.5% of SiO2/PAG oil/R-134a, increasing the refrigeration effect and decreasing the consumed power.